For The Sake Of Living
by GhostMemories
Summary: Prequel to "For the Sake of Family". This is what had happened during Iris' time as the captain of the USS Eyre and the tragedies that befallen her since and how she first met Khan. Set 1 year before the events of STID and fills in the blanks of FTSOF. Disclaimer, I do not own Star Trek only my OC!
1. Chapter 1

**AN: Please bear with this story here while I work out the last details of For The Sake Of Family. Enjoy! :)**

Chapter 1. The USS Eye

The USS Eyre or as the crew joking nicknamed it "Eye" after Iris, was finally able to set off from its 2 months' of repairs and upgrades. The previous planet they had visit was not exactly very welcoming and proceeded to view the starship as a threat. The shields were up a second too late but luckily only part of the ship was damaged and none of the staff was hurt.

Iris sat in the captain's chair on full alert since the attack on the ship the previous night before. Fatigue was something she dealt with on a regular basis so she was not as bothered as the rest of the crew.

"Captain! There is a Klingon patrol unit approaching us!" Her fist officer, Hale warned from his station.

"Shields up!" Iris commanded.

"Does anyone speak in this ship speak Klingon?" She asked and received silence.

"The Klingon ship is locking onto our ship, Captain!" Another officer, Jackal shouted.

"Can we go to warp?" Iris asked.

"That is not possible, we need distance to warp and the Klingon patrols have us surrounded." Hale stated increasingly worried.

"Captain, they're firing!" A voice warned just before a small impact collided with the shields.

The Klingons were firing at every space available in order to cripple the ship that had unknowingly entered their space. The shots never stopped coming until the shields were damaged enough to allow openings to the ship itself. Screams of the crew in chaos as the impact collided with the USS Eye.

"Shields won't be able to hold, Captain!"

"Commence emergency evacuation plans!" Iris shouted through the coms before pressing a button on her arm rest.

Gold light surrounded every member of the crew except for Iris who was redirecting systems to commence evacuation procedures. The bridge crew was teleported to the shuttles and boarded on relying on the instructions issued by the system voice.

By the time everyone was off the USS Eye, Iris had realized that her chance of survival was next to none as the shields went down. She felt the floor tremble from impact and the whole ship tilt, rushing to meet the ground. Then there was smoke and burning, the black uneven ground littered with fire was all she could remember seeking. Shouts filled the air as well and some of the escape shuttles were destroyed by the Klingons.

When Iris woke up again it was silent and she wondered briefly where she was. The lightning struck nearby and Iris would have jumped if not for every fibre in her body screaming in pain and the dizziness inside her head. She let her eyes wonder and saw the waste land before her and finally figured out where she was. The abandoned section of the Klingon homeworld and where the previous capital was. She had also seen some burnt bodies lying about, their stench making her eyes water with every breath she took.

Her eyes picked up something shiny on the ground next to her. A communicator. Her hands fumbled for it and her body protested as she grasped it tightly. In the distance thunder rumbled again and she began to dial the universal distress signal. The pounding in her head grew and Iris began to lose consciousness. Faint static noises sounded from the com giving her a ray of hope before fading into darkness combined with the sound of heavy footsteps.

"Why are you putting her in a cell? She must have been in excruciating pain as she dialled, it's a miracle she is still alive and breathing by the time we found her. And the damage done to her by the fall and those burns…"

"We don't know exactly what happened on the ship. This is just precaution."

"She the captain for god's sake! And all the survivors have already testified that she had made the best decision in that kind of situation."

Iris woke up to two foreign voices arguing. When she opened her eyes everything was a blinding white and she immediately closed her eyes again. A soothing hand patted her gently on the head, big but gentle like her father.

"Shhhh, go to sleep. You feel better when you wake up next." A masculine voice whispered and she fell back to sleep.

When she finally woke up again, she found herself on what looked like a hospital bed inside a prison cell. A soft humming tune came from the next cell but she turned her head to find her view to the other cell was obscured by an opaque glass and only saw the shadow of what appears to be a man.

"Hello?" She called out, finding her throat feeling raw and her voice sounding next to a squeak.

The humming suddenly stopped abruptly and silence came. She watched as the silhouette of the man turned facing her direction.

"So you are awake…" The man's deep voice instilled chills up her spine.

"What do you mean?"

"When you were brought here, you were heavily injured and perhaps on the verge of death."

"Oh. What happened to the rest of my crew?"

"Do you have no concerns for yourself?"

"They are part of my family."

"Your faith in your crew is admirable. Most of your crew survived according to the guards and doctors that had been here to check up on you. You are quite the talk here, Captain."

"Why am I here?" Iris asked ignoring his tone.

"You were found in an abandoned sector on Qo'noS with bodies of your crew and Klingons littered about you. That warrants suspicion does it not?"

"And who are you?" Iris' voice was gaining strength.

The figure hesitated for a second before answering.

"My name is Khan Noonien Singh."

Footsteps could be heard outside the door and both of them immediately ceased their conversation. Admiral Marcus strode in glancing at the occupant of the cell next to hers before focusing on Iris.

"I see that you awake, Captain Kirk."

Iris nodded silently wincing as pain shot up from her neck. The admiral seemed to have noticed her discomfort and gestured to the guards. The guards came inside her cell and began pushing the bed out of the room.

"What are you doing?" Iris croaked, trying to move away.

"We are going to fix you." Marcus said offhandedly.

One of the guards placed an oxygen mask on her face, she felt a prick in her arm and felt something injected into her before losing consciousness yet again.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2. I Promise

"Fusion at 70%...83%...90%...99%...fusion complete! Project Ryke is good to go!"

Iris felt like she was trapped in a cage. Her senses were different, she could feel how many people there are in the room by their shuffling and their breathing. Stranger still, instead of the normal warmth her body felt like it had just been out of a freezer.

"Dr Ryke, are you sure that the fusion was successful? She doesn't seem to be moving." The familiar voice of Admiral Marcus sounded exceptionally loud.

_Around 15 metres away_, her brain supplied for her. She frowned inwardly, _how the hell do I know that? _

"Captain Kirk can you hear me?"

Suddenly her vision began to clear and she pushed herself effortlessly off the bed that she had been lying on. There were many science and medical officers about the room with some security officers littered about, all staring at her in unnerving fascination. Iris glanced down to inspect herself and shrieked, making everyone jump.

There was a hole in her chest that was quickly healing up at an unnatural speed but she caught sight of something else wrong with her. In the place where her heart used to be was a tiny metal device that worked at pulsing the blood in and out.

"WHAT DID YOU DO TO ME?!" She screamed at the admiral.

"I saved you. Using Khan's augment cells we were able to regenerate the damaged limbs and organs though it was surprising that you were still alive. But you were shot again by one of the Klingons to ensure your death. In the state you were in you would only survive for hours before you began to deteriorate so we tested a device that had been invented by Dr Ryke here."

"Device?" Her voice was deceivingly soft.

The admiral gestured at Dr Ryke to explain and the timid doctor's voice shook slightly as he began to speak.

"The device is pulse generator and it acts like a heart but sends out pulses of blood instead of the normal contraction and expansion of the human heart. It can also be used as a peace-keeper sending signals for the heart to keep beating. And it can be inserted in any place near the bloodstream."

The doctor paused for a second, glancing at Admiral Marcus for permission to continue and when the admiral nodded his voice began to sound more animated as he talked about Project Ryke.

"We had to do a raw fusion of blood on you as the harm done to you was far greater than we thought. At first you immunity system rejected the blood but then it began to accept it. It is truly remarkable as no one as of yet has been able to fully accept the raw transfusion of an Augment's blood. Then we realised that your heart was not regenerating because of the phaser blast so we tested my invention in our effort to revive you. There was also damage to your chest but nothing artificial skin and augment blood can't heal." The doctor finished looking at Iris to gouge her reaction but her face, although a few shades paler remained stoic.

"You now have the enhancements of an Augment making you the perfect soldier. I have use for people like you. People who excel at everything they've been given and are able to do whatever is necessary when necessary, a trait which seems to run in your family. Perhaps we should start with your brother next."

"Don't you dare drag my brother into this!"

"Or what, what will you do? You see there is nothing you can do to stop me." Marcus mocked her.

Iris kept silent, knowing when to hold her tongue. Marcus took it as a sign of submission and signalled to the guards. They cautiously approached her with their blasters drawn. One of them cuffed her before _escorting _her back to the brig. She tried to sneak a peek at the mysterious man in the cell next to hers but the guard just shoved her into her cell. When the guards finally left she heard the familiar voice of the occupant next door.

"What did they do?" Khan asked, worried about what Marcus would have done.

"They made me...oh god…" The prisoner's voice shook slightly. "Don't, just don't ask. Just…tell me more about yourself."

"I am an Augment, genetically enhanced both physically and mentally to help humans find peace at a time of war, my crew of 72 Augments were the last of our kind who escaped abroad the SS Botany Bay centuries ago as war criminals, even after our efforts to stop it. We entered cryogenically induced sleep, wishing for peace that was impossible to achieve at that time but we held on hope that one day when we were awoken that tranquillity would finally come." Khan could feel his rage bubbling in his chest.

"So who woke you up?"

"Marcus," Khan spat the name, "he wants to wage a war with the Klingons and he is using my people as leverage against me to force my compliance."

"You're not the only one." The girl sighed. "He threatened my brother, my only family left. Looks like Marcus got the two of us right where he wants us."

"Not for long." Khan's voice held a promise of violence.

"So what's your favourite fruit?" The girl asked deciding to change the subject.

"Apples." Khan answered.

The girl behind the glass giggled causing him to smile a little as well.

"Well if I ever find a planet that grows apples I'll send you and your people there. It's a promise."

"Promise me something else." Khan said, looking at the shadow of the girl on the other side.

"What?"

"Live. Do not give up your life for nothing, it would be meaningless. If you should die then at least you can say that you have truly lived and had not given up until the very end."

Tears blurred Iris' vision as she tried to keep the swarm of emotions in-check. This man which she had only spoken to twice had said the words that had moved her. She sensed movement from the other side of the glass and saw Khan's shadow placing a hand on the glass. She stood as well mirroring him and placing her hand where his was.

"I promise." She whispered, leaning her head on the glass and letting the tears fall silently.

Iris didn't know when she fell asleep until she was swept into the world of nightmares. She was back in Qo'noS again, the smell of smoke and sight of burning bodies lying around her made her head spin and bile rise. From the far corner of her vision she saw a Klingon ship land onto the abandoned place. Thunder boomed from above and lightning struck illuminating the faces of the approaching Klingons. But suddenly their faces disappeared and all Iris could see was an unnatural glowing beam of a phaser. She felt the pain radiating from her chest racing up and down her nerves until they all went numb. She heard her parents' last conversation together. She remembered how her father's voice shook as he made Iris, who was only six at the time, promise to look after her family. Then there was her mother's voice on her death bed making Iris promise yet again to look after the last of her family, James 'Jim' Kirk.


End file.
